Coinbase Settlement
Leidel et al. v. Coinbase, Inc.

Case No. 9:16-CV-81992-MARRA

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

If you were a CRYPTSY account holder and are unable to access your CRYPTOCURRENCY, you could get money from this class action settlement against COINBASE, INC.

Important Dates

March 13, 2020 — Deadline to submit an Objection.

March 13, 2020 — Deadline to submit request for Exclusion

April 17, 2020 at 10 am — Fairness Hearing for Class Action Settlement

April 13, 2020 — Deadline to submit Claim Form

Your legal rights are affected whether you act or don’t act. Read the Notice carefully.

YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THIS SETTLEMENT

DO NOTHING

If you did not make a claim in the Cryptsy case, or if you made a claim in the Cryptsy Case that was rejected, and you do nothing in the Coinbase Settlement, you will not get a payment from this settlement. You give up your rights to ever recover from Coinbase for the legal claims in this case if the settlement is approved.

If you made a claim in the Cryptsy Case that was approved and paid, you do not have to take any action.

Your Cryptsy claim will be deemed approved and will be paid if this settlement is approved.
Deadline:
April 12, 2019

EXCLUDE YOURSELF FROM THE SETTLEMENT

Get no payment from the settlement. This is the only way that you can file your own lawsuit or ever be part of any other lawsuit about the legal claims in this case against Coinbase. Deadline:
March 13, 2020

SUBMIT A CLAIM FORM FOR YOUR SHARE OF THE SETTLEMENT

If you did not submit a claim in the Cryptsy Case or if your claim in the Cryptsy Case was rejected, the only way to receive money from the settlement when the funds are distributed is by submitting a claim form in this Coinbase Case by April 13, 2020.

Click Here to Submit a Claim Form online.
Click Here to download a Claim Form.
Deadline:
April 13, 2020

OBJECT TO OR COMMENT ON THE SETTLEMENT

Following the instructions in Question 23 on the Notice, write to the Court about why you like or do not like the settlement by no later than March 13, 2020. You may also ask to speak to the Court about your written comments or objections about the fairness of the settlement at the “Fairness Hearing” on April 17, 2020, though you do not have to do so. To comment on or object to the settlement and request to speak at the “Fairness Hearing,” you must act before March 13, 2020. Deadline:
March 13, 2020

GO TO THE COURT’S FAIRNESS HEARING ABOUT THE SETTLEMENT

If you would like, you may ask to speak in Court about the fairness of the settlement if you follow the instructions in Question 23 of the Notice. You do not need to speak to the Court to receive benefits under the settlement. Deadline:
March 13, 2020

These rights and options—and the deadlines to exercise them—are explained in more detail in the Notice.

On December 13, 2016, Plaintiff filed this class action against Coinbase on behalf of himself and on behalf of account holders in a cryptocurrency exchange known as “Cryptsy”. Cryptsy operated an online business for customers to exchange, invest, and trade in digital cryptocurrencies, such as “Bitcoin” and “Litecoin.” Cryptsy customers, including Plaintiff and the Class, deposited their digital currency in accounts held at, and purportedly protected and managed by, Cryptsy. In the Cryptsy Case, Plaintiffs alleged that Cryptsy and its founder, Paul Vernon, acted unlawfully by denying the Class the ability to withdraw or use the funds in their accounts and by stealing for their own use and benefit the digital currency held in the Cryptsy customer accounts. A settlement was reached in the Cryptsy Case, which was approved by the same Court presiding over this Coinbase Case.

The Coinbase Case alleges that Coinbase unlawfully aided and abetted the conduct of Cryptsy and Vernon by allowing them to have accounts on the Coinbase platform or that Coinbase was negligent by, for example, failing to employ proper due diligence and other supervisory procedures over the accounts that Cryptsy and Vernon controlled on the Coinbase platform. The Coinbase Case also alleges that Cryptsy and Vernon used their accounts on the Coinbase platform to convert to U.S. Dollars the cryptocurrency that Cryptsy and Vernon allegedly stole from the Cryptsy account holders who are the Class Members in this lawsuit. Plaintiff alleged that Coinbase knew or should have known that Cryptsy and Vernon were engaged in such unlawful conduct, and assisted Cryptsy and Vernon by allowing them to open and maintain accounts on the Coinbase platform.

Coinbase denied these allegations, and contended that it did not know about any of the alleged theft, did not have any reason to know of the alleged theft, and did not have any legal responsibility for the alleged actions of Cryptsy and Vernon.

Background